Yamaha FGX720SC – An Affordable, Modern Dreadnought

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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If your main goal in life at the moment is getting an affordable acoustic electric guitar that is capable of delivering a top-quality sound and covering a lot of genres, well, you're in luck because we believe the right answer is the FGX720SC six-string from Yamaha.

Everything about this guitar is classic, elegant and well tested. We're looking at a set of components you simply can't go wrong with, all wrapped up with a pinch of magic and more than a fair price. Let's dissect this fella now!

Body & Neck

The instrument comes with mahogany back and sides mixed up with a solid sitka spruce top. Further on up the road, the six-string utilizes a nato neck with a rosewood fingerboard with 20 frets and classic white dot markers.

This tonewood combo secures a sound that is rich, full and a tad soft, yet still packed with punch, grittiness and grind. As for the neck, we are well aware of the fact that nato is hardly a prized tonewood, but in this case it gets the job done. Perhaps more importantly, the craftsmanship is at a very high level, making the neck easy to play, sleek and comfortable.

Even more importantly, we've experienced ZERO fret noise, which is a genuine rarity within this price range. A budget cut one right, you might say.

As for the aesthetic factor, this is a pretty guitar. It's smooth, it's elegant, and it's available in three color finishes: Black, Brown Sunburst, Natural.

Hardware

In the electronic department, this Yamaha features a System 55T preamp with a piezo pickup, allowing decent sonic versatility and EQ adjustments, while also featuring an on-board tuner for extra convenience. When plugged in, the guitar sounds similarly to unplugged regime, which was great from the get-go, so no complaints here.

Additionally, the six-string features a set of six die-cast tuners, a rosewood bridge, a standard Yamaha headstock, and a pick-guard.

Sound

Some folks say that this is the single best deal you can get within this price range, beating $1,000 Taylor Guitars in terms of sonic excellence. We can't exactly agree with that notion, but we do agree that this fella packs a punch worth much more than the listed price tag.

As mentioned, the guitar delivers absolutely no fret buzz, which is very awesome. But the sound itself is very awesome as well, seeing that we are dealing with an immaculate and well-rounded punch that is truly worthy of champs. All sonic frequencies are covered, the trebles are bright, the middles are punchy, and perhaps most importantly – the basses are warm, strong and quite present in the mix.

Value/Conclusion

Overall, the FGX720SC offers a top bang for the buck, and stands out as one of our favorites within the under $500 realm. If your main thing is versatility and a warm punch of mahogany, add this Yamaha boy to your list of considerations right away.

According to several sources, this guitar is one of the company's most respected models with the lowest number of user complaints and the highest number of praises. It's a purchase you cannot go wrong with, and that's the type of purchase we're always after. Thumbs up!

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